Made in Britain?

This chapter examines how Albatross Press carved its reputation as an ambassador for British books in Continental Europe. From its inception, John Holroyd-Reece had publicly framed Albatross as British, much to the ire of the British publishing establishment. Yet he insisted that Albatross's sympathies were undeniably British. If British publishers had thought Bernhard Tauchnitz was privileging German economic interests to their detriment, Albatross—with its modern books and clever advertising—was perceived as an even greater threat. Albatross's obvious legal ties to Adolf Hitler's Germany only complicated the question of its Anglo-American loyalties. This chapter discusses Albatross's feud with the British Publishers Association as well as the Albatross Crime Club series that was introduced by Albatross to the German book trade two months after Hitler seized power.